Impact Georgia, Aug. 2006

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

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News and Facts to Keep You Informed - August 2006

Mission

The Georgia Department of Corrections protects and serves the public as a professional organiza-
tion by effectively managing offenders while helping to provide a safe and secure environment for the citizens of Georgia.
Vision
The Georgia Department of Corrections is the best
corrections system in the nation at protect-
ing the citizens from convicted offenders and
at providing effective opportunities for
offenders to achieve positive change. We are a leader and partner in making Georgia a safer,
healthier, better educated, growing and
best managed state.
Core Goal
A Safer, Healthier, Better
Educated Growing, and Best Managed Georgia
Core Organizational Principles
Value Based: Stewards of the Public
Trust
Embrace Change: Change, Transformation is
inevitable
Business Acumen: Better Business Practice
A Learning Organization: People are the Centerpiece

COMMISSION FOR A NEW GEORGIA LAUNCHES CUSTOMER SERVICE CAMPAIGN
On Thursday, July 25, Governor Perdue hosted the kick-off event for the state's new Customer Service Improvement Campaign, welcoming 42 agency heads and over 200 state employees to the special program held at the Capitol Education Center in Atlanta. Commissioner Donald was one of three agency heads invited to speak during the kick-off event.
Governor Perdue challenged all agency heads and their staffs to implement their customer service plans and work to increase the levels of customer service they offer the citizens of Georgia - keeping the goal of faster, friendlier, easier customer service in mind. "Each Georgia citizen who walks through our door for a government service is an opportunity," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "It is my intention that Georgia government employees will take advantage of those opportunities, showing citizens that we respect and value their time."
"Georgia will have the best customer service of any state in America." This is the vision of the new Customer Service campaign and the new theme is "Team Georgia. Ready To Serve." GDC has developed a customer service plan to improve our levels of service delivery in Community Education, Employee Recruitment and Retention and Inmate Incarceration and Probation/Community Supervision. Some of our customer service campaign initiatives include GDC On the Move community events, Inmate Family and Friends Day meetings, HR Job Fairs, and the redesigned GDC website. Our customer service plan will serve as a blueprint for improving how we offer services to our customers through these core initiatives.
Several GDC senior staff members attended the Governor's kick-off event: Operations, Planning & Training Division Director Arnold Smith, Corrections Division Director Arnie Depetro, Administration Division Director Harris Hodges, Executive Assistant Ed Stremple, Personnel Director Cindy Schweiger, and Public Affairs Director Yolanda Thompson.
Governor Perdue invited three agency heads to share customer service success stories: Commissioner James Donald - Department of Corrections; Commissioner B.J. Walker Department of Human Resources; and Commissioner Greg Dozier Department of Driver Services.

Continuation . . .

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News and Facts to Keep You Informed - August 2006

SPECIAL KUDOS
The Department of Corrections is pleased to announce that more than 70 of our prison wardens and superintendents have raised scholarship funds to benefit 18 college students. Recipients of the scholarships were graded on their essays, applications, grade point averages and level of need. This initiative is in conjunction with the Georgia Prison Wardens' Association.
Visit our website at www.dcor.state.ga.us
Commissioner: James E. Donald

GLYNN COUNTY IMPACT: HANOVER PARK RESTORATION
The Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner James E. Donald joined Brunswick Mayor Bryan Thompson and other city officials to tour the recently restored Hanover Park in downtown Brunswick Thursday, July 13, 2006.
The restoration project is part of collaboration with local officials to provide work and training opportunities for inmate work details that also allow them to pay restitution to the citizens of Georgia. Using the inmate construction detail from Bacon Probation Detention Center to restore Hanover Park saved local taxpayers over $70,000. Corrections has been working in collaboration with local government officials and business partners in Glynn County on other projects, which include remodeling the Park Place Office Center on Glouchester Street for Glynn County.
The Ware State Prison inmate construction detail assigned to this project has already saved the county about $60K in the first phase. The inmates were responsible for trimming, landscaping and planting along the causeways. Corrections has a strong presence in Brunswick and in surrounding counties, employing nearly 600 Corrections professionals in facilities and probation operations in Camden, Glynn, Liberty, Long, Ware and Wayne counties.

Public Affairs Director: Yolanda E. Thompson

Managing Editor: Camille Y. Cunningham

Photographer: Paul Czachowski
Please direct comments or questions to:
Office of Public Affairs 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. East Tower, Suite 864 Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Phone: 404-656-9772 Fax: 404-656-6434 Email: GDCinfo@dcor.state.ga.us

HQ Relocation Strategy
To develop a Human Resources plan to support GDC's move to Forsyth/Tift Campus that ensures the well-being of the department's central office employees is being considered and addressed
Kudos to HR Director Cindy Schweiger and her team for launching the new Headquarters Relocation web site on CAPTIVA. HR has created a centralized information resource center for employees to get information about the city of Forsyth, relocation options, carpools, and housing. The new web site also features a Q&A link for staff, a photo diary of community Events. GDC has hosted in Forsyth and a HQ Personnel Relocation Timeline.